US Senate Democrats pass sweeping US$3.5t spending resolution

[WASHINGTON] The US Senate approved a US$3.5 trillion spending blueprint for President Joe Biden's top priorities early on Wednesday morning in a 50-49 vote along party lines, after lawmakers sparred over the need for huge spending to fight climate change and poverty.

The vote marks the start of weeks of debate within Mr Biden's Democratic Party about priorities including universal preschool, affordable housing and climate-friendly technologies.

With narrow majorities in both chambers of Congress, Democrats will need to craft a package that will win the support of both progressives like Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who want robust action on climate change, and moderates including Senator Kyrsten Sinema, who has expressed concern at the size of the Bill.

The vote followed about 14-1/2 hours of debate that started right after the Senate on Tuesday passed a US$1 trillion infrastructure Bill in a bipartisan 69-30 vote, proposing to make the nation's biggest investment in decades in roads, bridges, airports and waterways.

"It's been quite a night. We still have a ways to go, but we've taken a giant step forward to transforming America. This is the most significant piece of legislation that's been considered in decades," Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters after the budget resolution was passed.

The Bills have been a top priority for Mr Biden, who has sought to enact sweeping changes during a time when Democrats hold fear loss of legislative control in the looming 2022 elections.

The Democrats plan to push the package through over the next few months, using a process called "budget reconciliation which allows them to pass legislation with a simple majority vote.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, a Democrat, said the House would return from its summer break early on Aug 23 to consider the budget resolution.

REUTERS